“We’ve been fortunate the three times we played them since I’ve been at KU,” Self said.

Folks could debate all night over which program is more fortunate to have the coach it currently has, but the results read like a head-to-head mismatch.

Everything KU says about Releford is true

For the past couple of seasons, Self has been fond of describing Travis Releford as a “glue guy.” The senior from Kansas City is that and more.

He’s a tremendous leader. At halftime Sunday, with the Jayhawks trailing 30-21, he and Withey got in their teammates’ grills and made sure they understood the season would not end here.

Releford is an elite perimeter defender who long has inspired teammates with his effort and conditioning level. Against the Tar Heels, in his hometown, he merely had the finest hour of his terrific career: 22 points, eight rebounds, three steals—and a complete shutdown of UNC’s leading scorer, Reggie Bullock.

UNC is young, and it shows

There isn’t a North Carolina non-senior who has any business whatsoever entering the NBA Draft. Sophomore James Michael McAdoo looks the part at a pretty well-filled-out 6-9, but his inability to finish at the rim over a good post defender never has been more evident that it was vs. Withey. It was the same story Friday in the win over Villanova.

Beyond that, the fact the Tar Heels couldn’t come close to matching Kansas’ intensity level in the second half says—loud and clear—they have some maturing yet to do.

“The first half is probably the hardest we played all year,” UNC freshman point guard Marcus Paige said. “Everyone was invested. We were flying all over the place.”

No word on where that investment went after intermission.

If Dexter Strickland is the only loss from this season’s rotation, this could be a Final Four team in 2014.

Said Williams: “We’ve got a chance to be a sensational basketball team again.”